Announcements

The Business Office reminds all department chairs that budget requests for 2008-09 are due TODAY, Monday, March 10:

Revenue and Goods and Services: Darlene Link

Salary and Benefits: Mary Doonan

The Consortium of College and Research Libraries (CARLI) announces the program, "Introduction to Scholarly Communication Including the Nuts and Bolts of Institutional Repositories. It will be held on Friday, April 11 at the University of Illinois at Chicago . This symposium addresses the design and development of institutional digital depositories for the products of scholarly communication. There is a rapidly growing number of academic institutions world wide that are developing programs to house and sustain the publication of student and faculty papers, journals articles, and the grey literature of classroom and conference presentations. Successful outcomes for participants are four-fold: develop an understanding of the planning and development process for the implementation of scholarly communication programs; showcase current SC programs at academic institutions such as Macalester College and Illinois Wesleyan University; demonstrate the use and usability of two or three scholarly communication software platforms; begin the discussion for the development of an interest group within CARLI that will lead to future involvement in the issue.

This program is free to those at CARLI member institutions, including Augustana. However, registration is required. Librarians Amanda Makula and Jamie Nelson are planning to attend and encourage interested teaching faculty or administrators to join them. Please contact Amanda or Jamie if you have any questions.

Register now for the Transformative Learning in the College Classroom online seminar to be held Tuesday, March 25, 2008 12:00  1:00 PM CST . Featured Higher Education.

College is about much more than the acquisition of discipline-related knowledge and skills. College can also change how students think about themselves and how they see the world. This "transformative learning" occurs when students begin to question the assumptions, beliefs, values and perspectives they normally take for granted. During a live, online interview, Maryellen Weimer, editor of the longstanding Teaching Professor newsletter, will speak with Professor Patricia Cranton, a noted authority on transformative learning. They'll discuss the nature of transformative learning and what kind of classroom conditions, assignments, and activities promote and cultivate transformative learning. The interview will also explore how transformative learning affects the growth and development of teachers themselves. Participants in the live interview will have the chance to ask their own questions of our presenters.

Knowledge benefits for you:
 Understand what transformative learning is and how it relates to content knowledge and skill acquisition
 Review how transformative learning prompts students' lifelong learning and self discovery
 Discuss how your classroom climate, course design, assignments and activities can encourage transformative learning
 Discover the role transformative learning plays in your own growth and development
 Submit questions and comments of your own in a live question-and-answer segment
 Invite colleagues to listen with you and spark further discussion on this important subject

Who should attend:
 New and experienced faculty members
 Academic deans
 Department chairs and assistant chairs
 Faculty development personnel
 Anyone interested in changing education to reflect the learner's perspective

Cost of seminar is $149.00. Register by calling 800-433-0499 or online.

This workshop will bring together teams of three to five faculty members and administrators from institutions that are interested either in initiating an undergraduate research program or in institutionalizing existing research activities. The three days will consist of plenary lectures presented by facilitators associated with CUR interspersed with individual team meetings with CUR mentors. The teams will begin the workshop by meeting with their facilitator and reflecting on the current status of undergraduate research on their campuses. This inventory will include the examination of institutional strengths, as well as the obstacles currently preventing achievement of desired results. After this assessment, the teams will begin formulating mission statements, goals, and action plans for their own institutions. The event will conclude with the teams discussing their plans with the entire community. Throughout this process, the facilitators will be engaged with the teams in order to assist them in discussions and deliberations.

Mentorship, Collaboration and Undergraduate Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities
July 18-20, 2008
Carthage College, Kenosha, WI
Application Deadline: May 1, 2008

This three-day workshop will bring together teams of three to five faculty members and administrators engaged in enhancing undergraduate research opportunities at their home institutions, focusing on undergraduate research as faculty development, student-based inquiry and institutional support structure. Participants will hear plenary lectures presented by facilitators associated with CUR, participate in individual team meetings with CUR mentors, discuss models of undergraduate research, mentorship and collaboration; what "research" and "mentorship" mean in different disciplines in the social sciences and humanities; assessing the value of undergraduate research; and means of augmenting funding for undergraduate research internally and externally. Teams typically consist of at least one academic administrator, one or more department chairs, and several interested faculty members.

This workshop will bring together faculty, either as individuals or in groups, who are interested in preparing proposals for submission to external funding agencies. The four-day Institute will consist of one-on-one work with a mentor, small group discussions, writing and critiquing of proposals, and plenary sessions. The Institute has been developed to assist novice to experienced proposal writers in drafting complete proposals for submission. All applicants will be asked to submit a one-page summary of their project. One month before the Institute, accepted participants will be asked to complete a background literature survey, and to submit a copy of the grant guidelines and as much of the proposal as they have. Participants are encouraged to have as much as possible completed in advance, to increase the likelihood of departing the Institute with a nearly finished proposal, but participants at all stages of proposal writing will benefit from discussion and critiques of their ideas. Unsuccessful proposal writers will be invited to attend a second weekend Institute where mentors will examine reviewer comments and work with participants to revise the proposal for resubmission. The Council encourages but does not require participation by teams of faculty from institutions, in order to help develop a core group of faculty skilled in critiquing and writing proposals. A team may consists of faculty members and administrators working together on a single project, or several individuals working independently on their own proposals.

For information on applying for these Institutes, registration fees, travel and lodging, please visit http://www.cur.org/ and complete the on-line application. Questions may be addressed to the CUR National Office cur@cur.org or (202) 783-4810. Enrollment is limited so apply early.

" Who We Are Matters : Exploring Various Approaches to Engaged Scholarship "
What drives your commitment to civic and community engagement? What outcomes do you want to achieve? What values, experiences, and interests have shaped your path? How might your motivations align or diverge with those of your colleagues, partners, and students?

During this interactive session, we'll reflect on such questions and consider their implications for our work as teachers, researchers, administrators, advisors, etc. We'll also discuss the benefits and challenges of different types of engaged scholarship in light of our institutions' distinctive missions and strategic priorities, public expectations, and the ever-evolving movement for engaged campuses.